A principal difficulty with the proposed uses of ceramic materials for such high temperature applications as the stator vanes in aircraft and stationary gas turbines, and rotating parts in automotive gas turbines is their relatively low impact resistance.
Several proposals for increasing this impact resistance have been made, such as improving the quality of the body itself by such means as fiber reinforcement or by forming compressive surface layers on the body which raise the nominal stress at which surface flaws act to cause failure.
While these proposals have been investigated, there have been no reports of outstanding success.